>finally, one question to the group: if java applets are precompiled, then
>why have then in Java at all? why not just write them in C which runs
>faster on smaller memory.
The reason usually given for compiling to virtual machine byte
codes rather than native code is security. The real reason is
that in moves control of the API from the O/S provider to the
application community. Note that Java is all about controlling
domain-specific APIs.
Another reason is that dynamic linking is today easier in an
interpreted environment than in a native code environment. There
is no reason save lack of attention that this must be the case.
One can of course compile C, Fortran and whatever your favorite
language is to any virtual machine. The virtual machine can't
tell what source language was used to create the byte codes.
Somehow we've gotten this notion that Java virtual machines
only run programs written in the Java programming language.
This is wrong.
Cheers, Scott